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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

I realize that this post would have been a tad more applicable a few weeks ago...but hey...better late than never, right?

So, here's the top ten things I learned during deer hunting season:

1. Fondue nights are awesome with fun friends. And laughter. And wine. And Ticket to Ride. And victory. And lots of yummy yummy food.

2. I've seen just about every chick flick I wanted to see before hunting season. Next year: save a few for that weekend- it will make the time alone something to look forward to.

3. I enjoy teasing my husband and pushing his buttons. When he's not around, I tease my kids. My very literal child was not appreciative. I think I just need to save my button pushing for when my husband gets home. I think it will make a nice "welcome home" present. :)

4. Not doing the dishes for three days only makes more dishes to do on the third day. Next year: paper products.

5. Scratch that. Next year: eat out.

6. It IS possible to have my husband gone for three days and NOT have a major incident in the PMD house.

7. Next year: arrange for some sleep over's for the boys and REALLY have the house to myself!

8. Outings and family gatherings are much more fun with my husband by my side.

9. I need to be more grateful that he's willing to take a weekend to relax once a year.

10. I'm grateful that my husband gets along well enough with my father to go hunting with him for an entire weekend and still enjoy his company every.time.he.sees.my.dad. Love those men!

Friday, November 25, 2011

I went to the stores this morning. Just two stores. With two little boys in tow. No, I didn't get anything for them...but the rest of my purchasing is 3/4 done, and I'm still on budget! No, I didn't take them out at 6am...we left the house at 9. Menards and Target weren't too bad! Thanks to the crazies that were in Target at midnight...we breezed through!

1. Is there a special dish you prepare that you are famous for?

I make a gluten free pumpkin pie that is pretty awesome. I've combined a few recipes to make it the way I want it to taste/texture. Want to see the recipe?

place pecans and spices in a food processor and process until pecans are finely ground. Add dates and coconut oil and process again until the mixture resembles a fine meal. Pour into a 9 inch deep dish glass pie plate and evenly press to the bottom and sides. Set aside.

I went to the stores this morning. Just two stores. With two little boys in tow. No, I didn't get anything for them...but the rest of my purchasing is 3/4 done, and I'm still on budget! No, I didn't take them out at 6am...we left the house at 9. Menards and Target weren't too bad! Thanks to the crazies that were in Target at midnight...we breezed through!

3. What are your strangest holiday traditions?

Someone told me that having crab legs for dinner on Christmas was strange. I find it delicious.

Well, right now, all our Christmas stuff is in the rafters in our garage/pole barn. The ceiling is about 13' high...and I don't do ladders. :) So, it's going to have to wait until D. gets around to bringing the bins down. Once they're down, I'll throw everything up...so perhaps by next weekend?

20. Work. I work from home. Although it provides a challenge with attention -seeking kids under foot, and sometimes stresses me out, I'm able to have lunch with them, go on field trips and set my own hours. And pay their school tuition.

21. Crafts. I really love being artsy. I love thinking of new crafts to do, and I love starting something and not knowing where it will end up...but figuring it out along the way.

22. Organizers. My friend, Stephenie, came last Thursday to help me organize after she read this post. While I had tackled much of that room on my own, I still needed help fitting everything into the one kitchen. Not only did she fit the things I found "unfittable," it's totally organized. I haven't had to look more than 20 seconds for anything!

23. Costco. This is a love/hate relationship. I hate the cashier when they tell me my total. Ugh...it's rarely under $100. BUT, I get so much food, and such a value on vitamins, that I really shouldn't complain. AND if I go directly after school with the boys, I don't have to worry about feeding them a snack- the sample stands take care of that for me. :)

24. My alternative Dr. and his (nurse) wife. These medical professionals diagnosed my gluten issue within 5 minutes of my first appointment. After I spent thousands of dollars on testing with my conventional Dr...and they never found an issue. This Dr. and his wife care about each and every patient, pray for them all, and educate them about what's happening in their bodies. The education has been priceless.

25. My handy husband. Really, he's not meant to be #25....but I wanted to give him a shout out on his birthday! Happy Birthday, baby! Love you tons.

However, once kids came into the picture...and a teeny tiny little Love Shack, well, I found a slim artificial pre-lit tree...oh, and I love love love it. Put together and plug in. So fast, so easy. Perfect.

3. What are you thankful for?

What am I NOT thankful for?!?! Seriously, I am so blessed....if this blog had unlimited space on it, I'd still end up maxing it out. But, I'll sum it all up into one sentence:

I'm grateful that I serve a God who is always in control.

4. Which fashion fad from the past do you wish you could wear today?

I'm not a "fad" person. I never have been, and probably won't ever be. I'm just me.

5. Do you wait until the "low fuel" light comes on before you fill up the gas tank?

Yep. And I know that once that light goes on, I have approximately 24 miles to go before I really HAVE to refuel. Procrastination runs in my blood. :)

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Over the course of three days, I spent more than 16 hours in a car. This is much more than the 90 minutes (tops!) I'm used to per day....which means I had a long time to analyze other's behavior and try to talk myself down from a road rage ledge.

So...here we go on a list of things that set me off.

1. Wide turners. If you in the turn lane, don't swing your car so that you enter MY lane so you can make a wide turn. You're driving a compact car, NOT a semi truck. You do NOT need that wide of a turn radius. If you do, chances are you shouldn't be on the road.

2. Slow left lane drivers. There's a right lane for a reason. If you're slower, get over there. That's your happy lane....and I'll happily pass you on the left. No really, move over.

3. Flipper-off'ers. Chances are, I'm just responding to your awful driving. If you wouldn't be so stupid behind the wheel, I wouldn't have to over compensate for your lack of quality thinking. You flipping me off just results in a van sized-dent in your side of the car. Really...watch it.

4. Road hoggers. There's two lanes. Pick one. Any one. And if you're driving slower, try the right one. See #2.

5. Wrong way parking lot drivers. I've inherited this one from my mom. The directional parking spaces are angled that way so that poor drivers (like you) can get into and out of them without hitting other cars. The lanes are thinner because of this reason. You're taking up space in my driving lane. Pay attention, please.

6. TV's. I'm driving across town, and I'm seeing all these tv screens down and kids zoned out watching the tube. Really, parents? You can't talk to your kid for the 20 minutes it takes to cross town? Really!?!??! Shut off the darn tv and have a relationship with your kid! Save the tube for road trips- give them something to look forward to.

7. Litterers. Asphalt does NOT equal trash receptacle. If I see you dumping on the road, I will write down you license number, and I will report you. No, really...been there, done that!

8. Booger pickers. You have windows all around you. You're knuckle deep. People can see that. Gross.

9. Parking lot hogger. Again, you don't need four spaces (up close!) to keep your precious car ding-free. You're just being a selfish snit. If you want to stay ding-free, park out a tad farther and take a walk in. Chances are less people will be looking nasty in your direction.

10. Newspaper readers. Really?!?!? How can you read a newspaper while driving?!?!? How can you hold the paper, read (without loosing your place) and not kill everyone in your path?!?! Is the news from yesterday THAT important? Couldn't you just turn on news radio?!?!?

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

When I envisioned our home that we would raise our kids in, I always imagined a neighborhood (NOT a subdivision, but a neighborhood) with tons of kids running around.

Like I had.

Like D. had.

We would run out the door and play and play and play until we heard my mom's tall-tell yell for us outside the back door, "SSSSSS AAAAAAA NNNNNNN DDDDDDD YYYYYYY"

We heard it, cleaned up, and ran home for dinner.

I never realized what a rarity that is.

That we had TONS of neighborhood friends all running around, clothes pinning cards to the back of our bikes to make motor sounds....riding to the local store to spend $1 on candy, watching backyard fireworks on the 4th.

When we first moved here, there was one family in our backyard. The boys were fast friends, and so were the moms. :)

That's it.

No other kids.

And then they moved.

While I don't begrudge them their family's ministry move...we miss them.

And then, Eureka...we have a new friend.

The nephew of one of our neighbors moved in with his elderly aunt to help her with home up-keep, etc. And he has a son. A son just a year older than A. A son who loves all sports, just like A.

He's only here on the weekends, when he visits his dad, but that's ok....that way I don't need to make rules about weekday playing.

He's incredibly respectful of our house and our family too- his family has very close priorities to ours.

Last weekend, Nick's dad had 4 tickets to a local hockey game. D didn't really want to go, he wanted to say home and chill out on the couch...but agreed to go because he knew A. would go CRAZY!

And he did. He was beaming when he came home- with a game puck and free t-shirt in hand. Apparently, there weren't many people there that night, so the boys had the run of the arena. Nick had been there many, many times before, so he showed A. the ropes.

Monday morning, I find this picture in my email in box:

Check out who made it on the arena screen (more than once, I'm finding out....)

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

This does not put me into a bevy of shopping stress....it gives me something to look forward to. It's almost as if the rest of the year exists to provide anticipation for the season. Here's my list of anticipatory activities for the next seven weeks:

1. Food. From the sweet potato dish (w/ marshmallows) on Thanksgiving to the crab legs on Christmas Day...oh my, the food is just so good. And now that I've found a fantastic pumpkin pie recipe with a raw nut crust....well, that's just perfection.

2. The people I dine with. Family. Friends. I love that feeling of togetherness.

3. Christmas carols. Note: This does NOT include the following songs- Feliz Navidad, Grandma got run over by a Reindeer, and All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth. However, anything sung by Michael Buble is tops in my ears.

4. Breakfast Birthday party. Every Christmas morning, the boys open their stockings, and before we do family gifts, we have a breakfast birthday party complete with gf coffee cake, 3 candles and a birthday ballad for little baby Jesus. This is my way of counter-acting the crazy commercial-ness of the holiday.

5. Giving gifts. I must admit....even though the whole commercial part of the holiday irritates me, I am a gift giver. Always have been. It's a love language. I've been told I'm a great gift giver. I love thinking about my recipient and finding the perfect gift to give. I can honestly say that I love gift giving more than the receiving.

6. Decorating. Yes, I'm looking forward to it. I love making my house feel all cozy and festive. Now, we're all under one roof. C is 4 this year, and wants to help, and knows to stay away from the breakables. There's a new found independence that goes with having older kids, and I'm loving it! And everything's under one roof....have I mentioned it's all under one roof?!?!?!

7. Shopping with Melody. We did this last year, and I totally enjoyed the evening. I'm hoping to make this a tradition?!?!? What say you, Mel?

8. Christmas cards. It's like catching up on Facebook, but for the technologically challenged, and with pretty pictures. Love it.

9. Christmas Break. Ask me two days in, and I may be singing a different tune. However, I'm looking forward to lazy mornings, and spending some extra time with my boys.

10. Family time. Worthy of saying it again. It seems like we just can't find enough time during the year to make each other priorities all the time. (hey...gotta work sometime). But it's great to see them and really make a concentrated effort to enjoy each other's company.

Monday, November 7, 2011

I really enjoy a good Not Me! Monday. I really feel as though it's therapy and helps me realize that other mom's out there are just as scatter-brained or not-together just like me. So, what say you...on with a Not Me! Monday!

- I did not double....(or actually triple) book a day this week. When one thing obviously trumps all others...resulting in a few disappointing emails to friends to reschedule. Nope! Certainly, I have it all together, and use the calendar on my fridge or the planner on my phone religiously. I have it all together and am totally organized with my time.

- I did not threaten my children "no wii for a week" in order to get them to turn off the lights as they leave the room. First of all, I would NEVER use screen time for bribery, (we don't have screen time in this house at all- screens rot brains....sha!)......and FURTHERMORE, I would never bribe my children. Obviously, I have raised my children to be obedient "just for the joy of being an obedient child" and they are fantastic stewards of energy.

- I did not steal 3 ok, ok...5 Reese's Peanut Butter cups from the Halloween stash. Nope...certainly, I am on a strict eating plan, and I would never delve into the hard-earned candy stash of my children's labor. I did not justify this by stating that I'm saving their teacher's from sugar-highed children for the next few days.

- I did not tell C. that there wasn't enough protein shake mix for him, and then go ahead and make one for myself. I am not a selfish horrible person and mom. I do not put my uber narrow eating choices and nutritional needs before his. Never. I always choose to starve myself to give my child his whim choice of breakfast foods- even though I know he won't finish it and will spill it all over the car. I certainly won't do that...bring on the spill!

Friday, November 4, 2011

We have a few that we pull from that are pretty much classics in our house. Here's a few that are used most frequently:

Pretty in Pink:"You my new style American girlfriend" "I've never been so happy in my whole life!" sometimes followed by "now I have a place to put my hand!"" Where is my automobile?" "AUTOMOBILE?!?!?""Quit feeling sorry for yourself, it's bad for your complexion!""How you spell? Well, you don't spell it, son, you EAT it!""Dat you?" "Yeah, dat me.""BONSAI!"

Footloose:" He's testing us! Our Lord is testing us!" "Jump back""Willard...which is your right from your left?""Uh oh...he's taking the car....""What did David do? what did David do? He was leaping before the Lord in a dance.""and there was a time for this law, but not anymore. It's our time to dance."

Napoleon Dymanite:"GOSH!""What ever I feel like, gosh!""Tina, come get your dinner.""Your mom goes to college.""You're just jealous of me because I've been chatting with hot girls online all day.""Vote for pedro"

2. Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?

Yes. My brother owned a crotch rocket in the early years. He gave me a ride home on it and I burned the inside of my ankle so bad. The blister was the grossest and biggest thing I've ever seen. So, after that I'm a little sceerd of motorcycles and their hot hot hot mufflers.

3. What's your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?

Watch chick flicks, read a book, clean the house....

4. Do you prefer a bunch of small gifts, or one really big, (expensive) gift?

Depends on my needs that year. The bigger gifts are usually the ones I treasure the most and use the most often, though.

5. Do you ever lose track of days and show up somewhere wrong?

Not really....When I mix up days, I usually miss appointments or coffee dates. My subconscious must be hoping for a free day instead of the crazy busy ones....

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Lately there's been a lot of reflection over when the kids were small.

Perhaps because we're in a new phase of our lives: no diapers, soccer, basketball, staring down the gauntlet of having both my children in school full time within the next year or two. More independence.

We're starting to purge the baby stuff, and look forward to just enjoying the boys as they grow.

It's also weird to see friend's kids. To see them grow, and see what little personalities that had as a small baby come out as a kid. It's just fun to see and enjoy life.

So, because I'm a sap, and because I'm finding all sorts of pictures and thought it would be fun to post:

About us

Grab a Button!

These people are awesome!

The Love Shack

In spring 2005, we shoe-horned our family of 3 (and a 100 pound dog) into the 780 sq. ft. house. SEVEN years of stuff and another son later, we're in the new side! An unexpected pregnancy pushed our progress even faster, and now the old side has been torn down, and is currently being rebuilt to accommodate our GROWING family! Updates come frequently, so be sure to keep stopping by for new pictures.

Twitter

101 GOALS

HOUSE:

1. Have a garage sale.

2. Organize boxes in the garage.

3. Find bunkbeds for the boys for under $100.

4. Expand garden.

5. Get trees cut down.

6. Clean out broken toys from toy boxes and sand box

7. Clean out my sock drawer and discard holey socks

8. Purchase light fixture for front porch

9. Add more sand to the sandbox

10. Spray the yard for bugs

PROFESSIONAL:

11. Devise a strategy to increase SCRIP use.

12. Meet or exceed weekly audit goal for 4 weeks straight (6/4)

13. Gather information for MOPS crafts and form schedule.

14. Start blog or website for D's D&J portfolio

15. Set up schedule for working this summer and stick to it

16. Find a secondary way to earn additional income.

17. Set up a successful PTL budget with committee leaders in place.

18. Clean out SCRIP boxes- at church and at home

19. Organize work projects into folders

SELF-REFLECTION:

20. Start a prayer journal

21. Refrain from yelling for three days straight (includes boys, dog and husband) (0/3)

101. SECRET GOAL. This goal will be announced once it has been achieved. A group of select people will be made aware of this goal and will help me get there. NOT SO SECRET ANYMORE! COMPLETE A 5K!!! I DID IT!!!!